App: StepCityTO
Hosted in ArcGIS Online:
Mission Statement
Our app is dedicated to promoting sustainable urban living in Toronto by providing users with valuable insights into walkability across neighborhoods. By showcasing access to essential services like healthcare, education, and recreational spaces, our app empowers residents to make affordable, eco-friendly choices in their daily mobility. It also acts as a tool for prospective Toronto residents or those currently looking to move into areas with increased walkability. Lastly, the app can be used by policymakers and urban planners aiming to improve urban mobility to identify inaccessible facilities and neighbourhood inequalities across the city.
The main findings users will get from our app include the count of specific services within a chosen Toronto neighborhood, along with information on the percentage of the neighborhood that has 1 km walking access to each particular service. The selected variables include pharmacies, libraries, hospitals, health clinics, public schools, EarlyON centres, child care services, supermarkets, convenience stores, and community centres. To provide affordability insights in our app, we filtered child care services to display only subsidized options and included only public schools, as they are government-funded. Additionally, we incorporated EarlyON Child and Family centres, which provide free programs for residents in English and French, with some sites housing Indigenous services as well.
The data on service types and counts in our app comes from OpenStreetMap (OSM) and the City of Toronto’s open data platform. OSM provides up-to-date information on various services, and the City of Toronto offers official datasets on service locations. By combining both sources, our app ensures reliable coverage of services in each neighborhood, helping users make informed decisions about walkability and access to essential resources.
Video Presentation
Documentation
Team Members
Kasandra Tworzyannski: Hello! I am Kasandra and I’m in my fourth year, studying Physical and Environmental Geography, GIS, and Statistics. My interests in GIS involve identifying spatial inequities of various factors and explaining their underlying causes. Outside of school, you can usually find me running long distances, discovering new music, or cooking.
Sophia Wen: Hi! I'm Sophia Wen. I am a third-year student at the University of Toronto, specializing in Human Geography with a focus on planning and minoring in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Originally from Shanghai, a vibrant city on China’s east coast, I have always been fascinated by places and how they shape people's lives. My passion for geography stems from my dream of traveling the world and capturing its beauty through high-quality vlogs. I love photography because I believe pictures have the power to tell stories and preserve memories of a specific moment in time.
Natali Keckesova: Hi! I’m Natali and am currently in my fourth year studying Human Geography with a focus in Planning, Environmental Geography, and GIS! I love learning how the built environment impacts our everyday life and the ways we can change the urban setting to improve both the environment's and the population’s well-being. I have always loved looking at maps, but my passion for GIS stems from its ability to visualize and analyze the world around me. Outside of school, I love spending my time outdoors, hiking (or even just walks with my dog), baking, or crocheting!